Most specialty tools are designed to solve a specific problem in a specific situation. Examples of U.S. patents for such tools are: U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,923 to Ryzcek for a tool for removing pop bottle tops; U.S. Pat. No. 1,346,306 to Duket for a pair of pliers for removing the terminals of a storage battery; U.S. Pat. No. 1,678,313 to Atkinson for an automobile battery tool; U.S. Pat. No. 2,111,106 to Tinnerman for a tool for applying threadless sheet metal nuts on bolts; U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,866 to Van Sittert for a pair of pliers used to apply and remove plate holders during riveting operations; U.S. Pat. No. 2,342,479 to Miles for a tool to apply spring steel fasteners to shingle securing nails; U.S. Pat. No. 2,353,848 to Miles for a tool to apply spring steel fasteners to shingle securing nails; U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,433 to Diepen for an eyeglass frame holder; U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,117 to Graham for a tool to apply and remove extension devices for temporary rivets; U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,910 to Van Niel for a pivoted jaw spring nut remover; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,755,541 to Kruger for a plier tool to apply and remove sheet metal fasteners. Although the range of use of such specialty tools is often very narrow and their cost sometimes relatively high, specialty tools more often than not pay for themselves many times over in terms of increased efficiency, increased safety to the operator of the tool, and reduction in damage to the parts being worked.
Efficiency, safety to the operator, and reduction in damage to the parts being worked are especially important in the field of removing and replacing upholstery, trim buttons as when the upholstery in an automobile is repaired or replaced. Current upholstery, trim buttons generally have an upstanding stud extending from the back of the button. The stud has an enlarged head or burr on it and the button is retained in place by inserting the stud head through a hole in a spring steel retainer. The retainer has slits extending outwardly of the hole forming a plurality of resilient ears or sections which flex outwardly as the head of the stud passes through the hole and then resiliently snap back to prevent the stud head from passing back through the hole. This manner of mounting trim buttons is very efficient and effective; however, present methods of removing such buttons as when the upholstery is repaired or replaced are extremely inefficient and ineffective. Specifically, one of the most common ways of removing the retainer is to pry one or more of the resilient ears away from the stud with a sharp, pointed instrument such as an ice pick. This method is very time consuming, relatively dangerous to the operatore, and usually ruins the retainer for reuse because one or more of the ears are bent out of alignment with the other ears. To again properly retain the trim button, the bent ear or ears must be hammered back into proper alignment or else a new retainer used. Needless to say, this realignment of the ears or complete replacement of the retainer can become very time consuming and costly in an upholstery job involving a dozen or more trim buttons. Replacement is a particular problem because the retainers are usually custom designed to match the shape of the trim button which often can be very unique. Consequently, with the present removal methods which tend to destroy the retainer, either a costly inventory of retainers must be kept on hand or replacements ordered as needed resulting in significant delays. Further, it is often the case that a replacement retainer for a uniquely shaped trim button is simply not available from any source.
There clearly exists the need for a specialty tool in the upholstery field to effectively and safely remove trim buttons from their spring steel retainers without damaging the retainers or impairing the ability of the retainers to be reused immediately. The specialty tool of the present invention is designed to meet this need and to do so in a simple, effective, efficient, and relatively inexpensive manner.